


Soar

by MrMissMrsRandom



Series: Wrath and Rage [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu | Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War, Fire Emblem: Thracia 776
Genre: Gen, Hawk joins the Magi Squad, Hawk was raised in the Loptous Sect, Implied/Referenced Child Marriage, Jealousy, Then he finds out there are other walks of life, Unclear if romantic or friendship jealousy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:26:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23497483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrMissMrsRandom/pseuds/MrMissMrsRandom
Summary: Hawk takes flight in ways he never could have expected.
Series: Wrath and Rage [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1727434
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	Soar

**Author's Note:**

  * For [winecup](https://archiveofourown.org/users/winecup/gifts).



_ “Remember what you must do. For your mother, for your sister.”  _

_ “Yes, father.” _

Canis, his father, then grabbed him by the back of his head, forcing it down, and then dragging him down the steps, into one of the main cells, and shoved him inside with several others. He kept his cowl up, casting his features in shadow, so any resemblance between them was untraceable. 

Hawk didn’t try to make friends with his new prison mates. He knew that he wouldn’t be in here for long. Prince Julius had notified agents from the Loptous Sect that the Magi Squad would come to make a jailbreak. Not that they informed Grannvale’s troops: according to Canis, those “brutes” would ruin their grand design. After all, the Magi Squad’s leader would not be among them, and he was the main prize. The main threat.

It was only two hours later that Hawk heard the telltale  _ click  _ of a lockpick’s tools. One of the other cells was filled with activity, as if also planning to escape. Fools, thinking they could succeed on their own. 

Though he could only see through torchlight, Hawk could easily make out the rescuers’ faces. He was used to walking around in darkness, in dug-out tunnels that smelled of damp earth. Many senior members of the Loptous Sect still shied away from sunlight, having spent most of their lives below. Hawk had to adjust when his father took him into their inner sanctums to gain forbidden knowledge. 

He had learned dark magic, but his tomes were left behind. If he was currently armed, it would be too suspicious. The only thing hidden among his robes was a small, weather-worn Wind tome. Canis told him it was his first tome, and he kept it with him. He hoped that it would bring Hawk luck. 

“Hey, you alive?” The younger woman waved at him from the barred door. 

All the inmates clamored there, begging to be let out.

“I take that as a yes. I’ll let you out. Make your way through the right,  _ not  _ the left. And don’t cause us trouble.”

She then unlocked the door and ran off. Instead of following the freed prisoners, however, he followed after her.

Despite her head start, he was able to catch up to her and a woman: a swordmaster by the looks of her weapon and garb. Though he didn’t know their names, he did remember their descriptions. They were known members of the Magi Squad, and they sure would lead him to the prince. 

Which was why he made sure to hit the soldier that attempted to hit the woman from behind with a burst of wind magic. Strangely, the wind responded to his wishes. 

He would think about it later because it still did not do as much damage as his Jormagund tome. The soldier staggered back to his feet, and brandished his polearm, ready to strike him down, if the girl hadn’t found a well-place dip in his armor, getting him right in the side of his throat. What surprised him the most was how she did not flinch. It seemed like she had done the maneuver many times before. 

“Didn’t I tell you to stay out of our way?!” She glared, letting the fresh corpse drop as she cleaned her dagger with the edge of her skirt. 

“He proved himself, Lara.” The woman said calmly as she looked at him with dark, penetrating eyes. “My name is Machyua. Yours?”

“My name is Hawk.” He said, trying to keep a determined facade when the terror of nearly being gouged still flooded through his veins. “I wish to join your cause.”

* * *

Hawk found himself among the weeping children he had helped kidnap mere weeks ago. Members of the Magi Squad were attempting to sort out methods of smuggling them back to their families, but there were at least half a dozen that did not know where their home was, or if they had a home to return to. 

Hawk remained silent, trying his best not to be suspicious. All he did was try to listen when a child spoke to him, pat their shoulders as they cried. The full brunt of his guilt was near suffocating, but he could not reveal himself and was thankful he had his cloak up during the battles.

“You are a fair hand with children.” The knight, Brighton, grinned at him as he was trying his best to wipe a seven-year-old’s nose. 

“I have a younger sister,” Hawk said, because he did, even if he had not seen her since she was this child’s age. “It’s more experience than nature.” 

“Haha, I suppose you won’t take over childminding duties then. Too bad.” 

A woman Hawk had not met came in and waved to Brighton. “That’s my job, Sir Brighton. Don’t you forget it, unless you would like to be in charge of storytime.” 

“No, no, I will leave that to you, Lady Voronika,” Brighton bowed. 

Hawk knew this woman was not a ‘lady’ and found their joking around about the term… odd. Regiment and power were kept very clear in the Sect. 

Voronika laughed before her gaze turned to him. “Ced will meet you now. Last door on the right.”

“A-ah, thank you.” Hawk was about to move, before something grabbed his sleeve.

“Are you gonna leave, sir?” The little girl asked mournfully.

“...Only for a little while.” Hawk replied. “Then I will be back.”

“...Mm.” She released his sleeve. 

When he thought of Prince Ced, he did not know what to expect. Someone more imposing, perhaps. He had a tall and wiry frame shrouded by his pure white cape: a smokescreen for the worn and practical traveling clothes underneath. Yet, when Hawk looked at his mismatched eyes: one brown, the other a vibrant, almost unearthly green, Hawk could tell the boy held power. 

“I am Ced. Why did you choose to come here?” 

Hawk did not question how easily he went to his knees to bow.

“My Lord, I offer my skills to you.” 

They discussed some things. Hawk told him the prepared story: he had learned magic in Silesse, his home country, but his father was a merchant by trade, and he had traveled with him to aid with his wares. He was arrested on false charges, their wares confiscated, and Hawk was thrown into a cell. 

“...I am sorry, Hawk.” He sighed, and for a moment Hawk was terrified he would refuse his request. “I am not a prince here, and I cannot return to Silesse for the moment. I could find a way to--”

“No, my Lord.” Hawk returned to his feet. “I do not ask you to return, only to aid you here. I… I have seen the horrors wrought upon this land. I am not unfeeling to it.”

Ced’s hands seemed to unclench, and he nodded. “Very well. I’m glad a fellow countryman understands. Asvel has left to join Prince Leif’s cause, and I could use another mage around. How much have you studied?” 

“Not as much as I would like, my Lord.” Hawk admitted for it was true. He did not understand elemental magic.

“Then I shall tutor you in what I know, though it will not be a great substitute for the academy…” 

And that was how Hawk spent his first night as a member of the Magi Squad.

* * *

_ "It is your job to pass on our bloodline. You must have this child!”  _

_ “Bishop Darios will treat you kindly once you--” _

_ But the girl’s weeping did not stop, even under the matrons’ care. And it was a girl’s weeping. At fourteen, Tasha was only a year older than him. She used to play cat’s cradle with him, and taught him knots. _

_ But then Bishop Dario chose her for his wife, and those games had to be put away.  _

_ Hawk walked away from that end of the tunnel, and pressed his hand hard enough into the wall that the earth began to crumble. He hoped it would cave in, trap them all here and fill his lungs with dirt.  _

_ But unlike reality, the shadows grew bigger and bigger around him, and he heard the roar of a beast come from the tunnel. He ran, but it got louder and louder, until he saw giant bared fangs surround him, then snap-- _

“Hey, hey, wake up!” 

Hawk was shaken awake, Lara’s concerned frown over him. His clothes felt damp, bathed in sweat, and his breathing was heavy. 

“Wh-what happened?”

“A nightmare. Nasty one, by the looks of it.” Lara leaned away from him. “Want to talk about it?”

“... No.” Hawk answered, moving to use his sleeve to wipe away the excess, only for Lara to press a rag into his hand. “... Thank you.”

Lara shrugged. “I get them from time to time, can tell the signs.” 

“You do?” Hawk was surprised to hear that. “You… I’m sorry, but you don’t seem the type.”

“You have to learn to hide that part of yourself in a life like this, otherwise they’ll eat you alive.” Lara rubbed one of her arms, no longer looking at him. “... I imagine hands.” 

“... I imagine teeth.” 

Lara turned to him, and despite the nonsense words, there was some joint understanding between them from there on out. 

Hawk began to write false information back to the Sect from that night forward.

* * *

Hawk recognized Bishop Saias the moment he came to their safe house. The moment he saw him, he wanted to scream, to say how they welcomed an adder into their den, but then he would show his own shed scales if he did. 

Still, he remained cautious and kept an eye on him. The more he saw, the more his emotions were thrown into tumult. 

The Bishop was so damn  _ likable _ . Everyone liked him: the members, their supporters, the children, even Ced warmed up to him quickly.

Especially Ced. 

How their leader hung on every word, every direction where Bishop Saias’s fingers danced across the map, and how they leaned into proximity with one another made something inside him grow hot and cold all at once. 

He remembered something one of the elderly priests said to them before, that “blood draws in blood.” 

If the rumors about Bishop Saias were true, then it was perhaps fate that these two holy blooded meet, and find comradery. Maybe it was simply in their blood that made Ced act like, like… Hawk didn’t know. He didn’t want to know. 

That night, while he was on patrol, the Bishop slammed Hawk against a wall, his fingers clasped against his throat.

“What is a Loptous priest doing in a resistance camp?” His voice was low, measured, and deadly. 

Hawk gurgled, before shoving his hands against his shoulders. He relaxed his grip, just enough for him to speak.

“What is a Grannvale  _ dog  _ doing--”

They gripped again. 

“Hold your tongue. I’ve left that behind me.” The Bishop hissed. 

Hawk glared, before working out words.  _ “As… have… I.”  _

He let him go after that, but reluctantly. “Then neither of us will air our pasts out for the world. Are we in agreement?”

“... You do wrong, taking advantage of Lord Ced’s kindness.” Hawk hissed, rubbing the soreness out of his throat.

“I don’t care to hear that from you,” Saias answered flatly. “The main job is for us to end this war, and ensure power is restored to someone who will care for the people.”

Hawk didn’t even know this Prince Leif. He didn’t know what to believe. But everyone else seemed to think he was the best choice, so he went along with it. But his past did not leave him so easily blinded by appearances. He would strike if it was called for. 

* * *

The attack on Manster was both expected and unexpected. Finally, the Magi Squad was forced out of the shadows and into fighting troops in the streets. Many civilians were moved to safe houses on the outskirts, but it did not quell the fear that they would be reduced to rubble anyway. 

He shot out another attack, felling a pair of knights, only to barely dodge a pair of ghostly wolf heads as they tried to bite down. 

Loptous priests. Of course, they would be here. They followed the stench of death like carrion if they were not the cause.

Hawk glared defiantly at the robed figure, about to send out an attack, when his hand paused.

Canis, father, was standing in front of him. His cowl had fallen, and he looked more gaunt, more haggard. Neither moved to attack, and neither said a word, staring, until a tower above them began to topple and crack, and the rubble fell between them. 

* * *

Bishop Saias left a week after the retaking of Manster. The Magi squad disbanded when peace was restored. Some went with Lord Leif to join the greater Liberation Army forming to the north, while some went back to homes and families. 

“You could go home, too, you know,” Ced said. “I will not force you to stay.” 

Hawk went to his knees before him once more. 

“I will remain by the side of my future king, if he allows me.” 

“...” Ced knelt down beside him with an awkward smile. “You know how difficult it is to refuse when you put it that way.”

Hawk laughed, and for the first time in ages, his body felt… light. “That is exactly why I did so.” 

He would not return to the darkness once more, but follow Lord Ced into the light of a brave new world. 


End file.
